Nairobi, May 10 -- Kenya's plan to plant 15 billion trees in 10 years -1.5 billion a year, 125 million a month and four million a day - seems like a tall order. The country has only managed to plant 750 million tree seedlings since September 2022, well short of the three billion mark.

President William Ruto's government had announced a goal to increase the country's tree cover in the country to 30 per cent by planting 15.9 billion trees (10.6 million hectares) in 10 years for climate change resilience, mitigation and improved livelihoods.

The government announced today May 10 as a public holiday for Kenyans to plant trees. It is targeting to plant at least 200 million seedlings today.

"On this day, we call upon all Kenyans to turn out ...